This specification relates to Internet-enabled devices.
An Internet-enabled device is a device having embedded software and electronics configured to communicate with sensors and actuators, and to exchange data related to the operation of those sensors and actuators over a network, e.g., the Internet. For brevity, such devices may be referred to as “Internet of Things” devices (IoT devices). However, such devices can communicate information on any appropriate network, which need not be the Internet.
IoT devices have interactive functionalities that have myriad applications in many industries. For example, IoT devices have applications in building design where they can be used to monitor lighting or heating in a building; healthcare where they can provide remote monitoring capabilities, e.g., for blood pressure or heart rate monitoring; and transportation where they can control speed limits or monitor vehicle speeds.
Building prototypes of IoT devices can be expensive due to the multiple different physical components that are involved. Different sensors and actuators may use different communication protocols. Furthermore, building, testing, and integrating systems having embedded software is an expensive and time-consuming process.